Olivier Rioux from Terrebonne, Quebec has officially become the tallest player in college basketball history after stepping onto the court for the University of Florida. The 19 year old stands at an incredible seven feet nine inches tall, towering over current NBA stars like Victor Wembanyama and even legendary giants like Yao Ming. During Florida’s 104 to 64 victory over North Florida, fans chanted We Want Ollie so loudly at halftime that coach Todd Golden finally relented with just over two minutes left in the game, sending Rioux to the scorer’s table to make his debut.
The crowd delivered the loudest ovation of the entire game as the redshirt freshman pulled off his long sleeved shirt and checked in, with teammates and coaches celebrating wildly at this historic moment. Rioux, who was already six feet ten inches tall at age 12 and officially became the world’s tallest teenager at 15, handled the attention with typical Canadian humility, joking that making history was just another day. He weighed 16 pounds at just one month old and has been playing basketball since age five, representing Canada in multiple international tournaments. His teammate Micah Handlogten stopped him before the game to remind him that after two years of hard work, this was his moment to shine, and fans watched with delight as Rioux ran up and down the court with a little smile on his face.
